Wood Info

Myrtlewood Ukulele Wood - An exotic hardwood which grows only along the Northern California and Southern Oregon coastal region. Myrtlewood occurs in beautifully figured and burled patterns, and in a wide range of colors. It is very hard wood with fine interwoven fiber. Tonally, it has superb projection and sustain, and a very full and beautifully balanced sound. This superior tonewood is perfect for ukuleles.

Koa Ukulele Wood - A visually stunning hardwood native to the Hawaiian Islands. Always in high demand for the beautiful colors, dazzling figure and rich sheen it possesses, quality koa is very difficult to source. Our stock is sourced directly from Hawaii and selected to represent the finest quality available.

Mango Ukulele Wood - is an excellent alternative luthier wood. It's a sustainable species growing throughout most of the world's tropical zones. Our stock is all from the Hawaiian Islands. Mango's hardness is similar to Koa and often displays beautiful blushes of pink and chocolate brown colors and unique figure.

Port Orford Cedar Ukulele Wood - Actually a rare variety of Cypress (Lawson Cypress) which grows along the S. Oregon Coast where it's endured for over 50 million years. This is an incredibly light weight, yet tough wood possessing phenomenal tonal qualities. Ukuleles made of POC are light weight and sound magnificent.

Western Redcedar Ukulele Wood - The tonal qualities of this variety of Cypress will astonish you. Response, projection, sustain and harmonic complexity are all truly extraordinary. Redcedar is the most resonant tonewood we know of. It is typically very straight grain and very stiff, but somewhat softer than most soundboard woods, so a bit more care is required in fabrication. The end result will be well worth the effort.

Maple Ukulele Wood - Maple Ukulele Wood - Figured curly Maple and quilted Maple guitar tops have been a standard in the industry for over 50 years. It's beautiful wood with good tonal qualities and plentiful enough to support a large scale industry.

Sitka Spruce Ukulele Wood - is an industry standard, tough and well suited for soundboards. Our current selection is old growth, originally harvested from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State during the mid 1900’s, processed into soundboards, and then stacked in storage for over 30 years until we acquired it. The wood is tight grain with strong medullary rays in most sets and a bit of curl and bearclaw as well.

Ebony Ukulele Wood - This is true Macassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica) from Indonesia, not to be confused with Asian Striped Ebony, African or Asian Blackwood, or other inferior, softer, more brittle varieties of Ebony that are being sold today. There is good variation in the available colors and patterns. Much is high contrast brick stripes or swirls set against black (some call it marble cake), but some of our Macassar Ebony takes on a look quite similar to the finest Brazilian Rosewood from decades past. Occasionally we have quilt figured Macassar Ebony available, for extreme high-end applications.

Pistachio Ukulele Wood - (Pistacia vera) This is the variety of Pistachio grown commercially for nut production. The wood is very dense and hard, similar to Ebony. The colors include green, red, white, and tan to dark brown, in stunning patterns of contracting bands. Pistachio has excellent tonal qualities and a most unique look.

Claro Walnut Ukulele Wood - Juglans hindsii – from N. California & Oregon, possesses a beautiful purple brown tone, and is often highlighted with pink, green, golden and tan. It has a higher incidence of intense figure and curl than do other Walnut varieties. Our stock is all air dried, allowing the wood to more effectively retain the pink, purple, and other beautiful secondary colors. These colors are often lost when kiln dried. Claro Walnut is prized for it's superior tonal qualities.

Alaska Yellow Cedar Ukulele Wood - Alaska Yellow Cedar, (AKA Alaska Cypress and Yellow Cypress), is very similar to Port Orford Cedar (Lawson Cypress) in many ways. It is very stable and stiff, has a soft velvety look and takes a beautiful finish. It is also one of the more resonant tonewoods, again similar to POC, but a bit warmer sound in the low end. We think you will enjoy this species.